Tuning Out The Noise

This past weekend, a special little 5 year old, Maddie, taught me a really valuable lesson. Here is what happened. 

I was playing with my nephew when Maddie ran over to me. She plopped down by my feet and just sat there. She crossed her arms and legs, scrunched her little nose and had an angry and frustrated look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I came down to her eye level. 

“Nothing,” she said. 

“Oh really? I said with a slight giggle. “Then why do you look so upset?”

Maddie burst into tears as she climbed into my lap. 

“I was doing so good and then they distracted me. They are yelling and telling me what to do. And I just can’t focus,” she was trying to get the words out as quickly as she could. 

She was learning how to jump rope while 2 people each held an end and swirled it around. 

I acknowledged how frustrating that can be and consoled her. 

“Yea it is,” she said. “They just won’t stop distracting me,” she was getting more frustrated the longer she spoke about it. 

I proceeded to give her two options. I told her that we could try it later when no one was around, or she could go back over there and we would tell everyone to be quiet while she jumped rope. 

Maddie was bound and determined to learn how to jump rope, so she told me she wanted to practice now and asked if I would ask them to stop ‘distracting her.’ I agreed, and so we joined hands, confidently marched back over to the group and waited for her next turn. When it was her turn, I made the announcement that everyone was to sit quietly while she practiced. They obeyed, and this determined and persistent little 5 year old proceeded to jump rope with the biggest smile on her face. 

As I was reflecting on this experience, it had me thinking about how we all experience ‘noise’ in life. It can come in the form of our inner voice, external distractions, others opinions, and such. Some days it is ridiculously loud, and others the noise may be a little softer. But noise is noise and it has the power to move our attention away from our main point of focus, which can make us angry, frustrated, annoyed, short tempered, lost and forgetful.

Maddie also reminded me during this experience that we have the power to tune out the noise. It is our choice to either listen to the noise, or to block it out. We choose how long it sticks around and how we want to respond to it.

I realize it might not always be that easy to make the noise stop when we ask it to, so of course I’m thinking about what I do when I need to block out the ‘noise.’ Hands down, every time I am overwhelmed with ‘noise,’ I focus on my breath. When the inner critic is feeling extra chatty, I do my best to sit in silence and observe it as I focus on my breath. When the noise from others around me becomes too loud, I sit in silence and observe what is happening around me. All while trying not to get lost in it (sometimes easier said than done). 

I also deeply admired that she listened to her inner voice that was encouraging her to keep going. While I know the ‘noise’ - unsolicited helpful tips, cheering and positive encouragement - was all coming with good intentions, she saw it as disturbance that was taking her focus away from being able to stay on task to prove to herself she could ‘do it.’ 

What really has me sitting in awe though is the resilience that little Maddie showed despite all the ruckus. She was so upset that she was ‘trying so hard, amidst distractions,’ but she was not giving up. No matter how loud the noise, it wasn’t deterring her from wanting to walk right back into it, simply to jump rope. 

Children are such amazing examples for adults when it comes to being in the present moment. If you watch them while they play, they immerse themselves into the experience. They aren’t trying to do 5 things at once (well, most kids anyways).

I know for a fact there have been times in my life when I have allowed the noise of other’s opinions and the harsh inner critic to prevail, but as I continue to cultivate awareness, I hope I become as resilient, determined and present as my friend, Maddie, was that day.